Phillip Evans has known Joe Musgrove since well before they were in the majors. The utilityman and Pirates starting pitcher squared off back in high school in San Diefo, and both committed to San Diego State in the same recruiting class. They even wound up living together while baseball was shut down.
Before then, during the offseason, Evans was a free agent, looking for a new home. There were a couple offers on the table, one of which was from the Pirates.
When Musgrove found out, he was excited and started to recruit him to come to Pittsburgh. That wasn't the main reason why Evans was thinking about signing, though.
"Training with him in the offseason, [he] really showed me that work ethic that he’s got, and I wanted to be a part of it and see where the team could go,” Evans said.
Evans was convinced, and he ended up signing a minor-league deal with the Pirates. He would end up making the team, thanks in large part to his versatility and a strong showing at the plate during spring training and summer camp.
It was a nice recruitment effort by Musgrove, whose off the field demeanor has already had a tangible impact on the team. It isn't going to be the only time that happens in 2020. Now in his third year with the Pirates, Musgrove has been vocal, and showing, that he wants to be a leader for his club.
"I'm not trying to go come in here and be somebody that I'm not," Musgrove said during a recent Zoom call. "I just come every day, and work how I work. It's just how I was raised. The intensity that I have and that I carry around, I just hope it rubs off on other people. We've got guys in here with more time than I have and far more experience. I'm just trying to come in and be someone to set a good example and someone that guys can follow along and get in line with. I'm not coming in here trying to steal light from anybody or steal a role. I'm just coming in doing what I do and hoping guys will fall in line with that."
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The change started last year. The Pirates were close to wrapping a disastrous second-half, one that would lead to them firing almost everyone who was in power. But Musgrove knew there needed to be change from within, too.
He had joined the Pirates in 2018, and despite most pundits counting them out from the start of the season, they finished with a winning record. A very loose clubhouse was part of the reason for their success. There were dance parties after wins, players were feeding off each other in the dugout and, overall, there was very little conflict.
That wasn't the case in 2019. They came in with added pressure to compete, but the front office made virtually no additions to help them out. While the Pirates were able to stay competitive through the All-Star break, they collapsed in the second half.
Then things turned ugly. The injuries continued to pile up. Fights broke out. Closer Felipe Vazquez was arrested. A once promising season was going to finish in a last place fnish.
As things continued to get worse, Musgrove felt not enough was being done by the players to stop the collapse.
“I think we lacked a little bit of leadership in the clubhouse, amongst all the players,” Musgrove said during PiratesFest in January. “No one was really willing to step up and take that role.”
So he stepped up following his final start of the season. As he exited the game, he handed his cleats to a fan in the stands. When asked about it during the postgame interview, he decided to talk about more than just the gesture, but rather the team and how they had let the fans down.
“We didn’t really give the fans a whole lot to look forward to this season," Musgrove said that night. "As much as we want to complain about not having a full crowd and not having a lot of action and a lot of noise out there, it’s on us, man. We didn’t perform, and at the price of tickets now, I don’t know if I’d pay that much to come out and watch a team perform like we did this year."
It was something that he felt needed to be said. Musgrove had talked about the need for more leadership before that night, but it was a definitive statement. He wasn't happy with the direction the team was heading, and he thought the fans should know that, too.
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On Dec. 4, the Pirates introduced Derek Shelton as their new field manager, making him their third big hire of the offseason, alongside team president Travis Williams and general manager Ben Cherington.
The day before, Musgrove took him to lunch. And if you were going to give the skipper a taste of Pittsburgh, what better place than Primanti's in the Strip District?
The two got to know each other a little better over the course of a couple sandwiches. Shelton, an American League coach his entire career, asked which road cities were the best. They talked about beer, their dads, how Steven Brault took his sister to the prom, the city, the team.
That wild card game in 2013.
"Just the atmosphere of that baseball, man. I'm super excited to get the city back to it," Musgrove said as Shelton took another bite. "Winning season in '18, I guess. Just not the same."
The next day, during his first press conference as Pirates manager, Shelton talked about his goal of establishing a player-centric culture. He wanted to hear from players on how to make the clubhouse better and to open up better dialogue between the players and coaches. That didn't always mean they would do everything the players wanted, but they would always be heard.
He wanted to empower them, but that came with added responsibilities and being honest in that communication. Musgrove doesn't shy away from that.
"I think right from the first day, Joe was very much involved in that," Shelton said during a Zoom call during summer camp.
And there needed to be dialogue between the players, too. Again, Shelton praised Musgrove for being willing to listen as well.
"He's extremely respectful," Shelton said. "He embraces the fact that guys want to have conversations with him. And it's exciting to me to see how people are attracted to him, how people gravitate toward wanting to ask him questions. For him being a younger guy and not having a ton of major league time, that shows you know how special of a person he is.”
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Every Wednesday afternoon during the shutdown, Oscar Marin and the pitchers had a Zoom meeting. They were mostly to check in on how what everyone was doing to stay ready, how they were holding up mentally and what they should work on for the next week.
As the weeks went on, Marin noticed a trend.
"When he speaks, guys listen," Marin said. "They're very attentive of when that happens, especially in those Zoom calls. I think part of the leadership he brings is what he does, how he presents himself and that little aura that he does have of being that guy for them last year."
It's not just Marin who feels that way.
"He’s a team leader," Kevin Newman said. "Just a great guy to lead that staff and this team. He’s a guy that we all want to rally behind and get behind and go out and play for."
"To me, Joe is the stereotypical, prototypical leader on the field," Jacob Stallings said. "I just love going out and competing with Joe. He's one of the top competitors I've ever played with."
"You have different people that lead in different ways, and he leads definitely by example," Shelton said. "He works his butt off."
Leading by example is a bit different during a pandemic. Players can still work out together and talk to each other. The starting pitchers have gotten into the habit of watching each other's bullpens looking for ways to help each other improve.
But it also means doing the small things, like making sure to wear a mask and address someone if they are not following protocols.
“We’re trying to get everyone to wear masks as much as we can,” Musgrove said. “I feel like the more often I wear mine, people are going to see it and want to wear it … or they’re not going to want me to yell at them or say something to them, so they’ll throw it on. I don’t want to wear it any more than the next guy, but we’re trying to keep guys safe.”
In many ways, it's like that quote from the end of last year: If there's something that needs to be said, he's going to say it.
"He has the traits and abilities to lead," Shelton said. "Players look to him to do that."
"You know, this is my first time doing it, so I don’t really know what to say or how to do it."
Musgrove was smiling. Shelton just couldn't see it under the mask. He had just told Musgrove he was going to start opening day against the Cardinals, and neither really knew what to say next.
"I said, 'it’s my first time, too, man, so we’ll do it together,' " Musgrove said. "It was just a cool moment for both of us. His first time on the managing side getting to tell someone that it’s their opening day, and for me being my first one. It was very exciting.”
Growing up, Musgrove and his dad, Mark, would always watch opening day together. The way they saw it, the guy who took the hill those games was the one the manager had the most faith in. Now, he's in that group of 30 pitchers that each team considers their best.
“It’s going to suck that it's going to be a pretty dull, boring opening day, but it is opening day nonetheless,” Musgrove said. “I’m really honored to get it, and I'm proud of myself. I've put in a lot of work to get to this point.
“Find me on other teams, I might not be the opening day guy, but I'm here right now. That's the reality of it, and I'm ready to take the role.”
It's going to be Shelton's first game as manager, finally officially kicking off a new era in Pirates baseball history after months of setbacks and delays.
"I'm gonna go out there and give it hell, man," he said. "He knows what kind of competitor I am."
So do the rest of the Pirates.